Congress Passes a COVID Relief Bill
Dec 20, 2020
As the Christmas holiday neared and a government shutdown loomed, the opposing factions in Congress reached an agreement on a COVID relief bill. The final bill is a compromise, reflecting the continuing strength of the Republican majority. The bill totals around $900 billion and includes:
- A $300 supplemental unemployment benefit for at least 11 weeks;
- A $600+ stimulus check for qualifying individuals and family members;
- Re-institution of the Paycheck Protection Program with nearly $300 billion in funding and more carefully targeting to small businesses;
- Reimbursement to federal contractors for certain COVID-related paid leave expenses;
- Substantial support for vaccine distribution;
- Funds for some school and public transportation costs
No funds were directly included for state and local government, although unspent funds from some existing programs could be directed for that use. No employer liability protections were enacted and FFCRA leave programs were not extended, ending federal (but not all state) COVID paid leave programs.
Congress is also expected to approve the new budget before they recess.
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission voted, 3 to 2, to ban nearly all non-compete agreements. The ban is scheduled to become effective 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register (as of the date of this alert, it has not yet been published).
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its long-delayed final rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees, increasing the salary threshold for overtime exemptions.
DOL released its final OT Rules which will become effective July 1, 2024.
The EEOC’s final Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) regulations were republished in the Federal Register on April 19 and will become effective on June 18th. The final regulations and guidance clarified and, in some cases, expanded on employers’ accommodation obligations for pregnancy related conditions from what the EEOC originally included in the proposed regulations.
On March 29, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget published revisions to federal data that covered entities must collect on race and ethnicity.
On January 29, 2024, on the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Biden Administration announced a proposed regulation to prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from using job applicant’s prior salary history when setting pay and to require federal contractors to disclose the expected salary range in job postings. The proposal was published in the Federal Register on January 30, 2024 and comments were due on April 1, 2024.
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission voted, 3 to 2, to ban nearly all non-compete agreements. The ban is scheduled to become effective 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register (as of the date of this alert, it has not yet been published).
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its long-delayed final rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees, increasing the salary threshold for overtime exemptions.
DOL released its final OT Rules which will become effective July 1, 2024.
The EEOC’s final Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) regulations were republished in the Federal Register on April 19 and will become effective on June 18th. The final regulations and guidance clarified and, in some cases, expanded on employers’ accommodation obligations for pregnancy related conditions from what the EEOC originally included in the proposed regulations.
On March 29, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget published revisions to federal data that covered entities must collect on race and ethnicity.
On January 29, 2024, on the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Biden Administration announced a proposed regulation to prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from using job applicant’s prior salary history when setting pay and to require federal contractors to disclose the expected salary range in job postings. The proposal was published in the Federal Register on January 30, 2024 and comments were due on April 1, 2024.
OFCCP announced on March 25, 2025 that its contractor portal will open for federal contractor certification on April 1, 2024 and close on July 1, 2024.
Join our skilled presenters as they discuss the actions of the DOL (Wage & Hour; OFCCP; OSHA), the NLRB, and recent Court arguments confronting the Chevron doctrine, with a focus on the impact on the workplace.
On January 30, 2024, the Biden Administration published a proposed regulation to prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from using job applicant’s prior salary history when setting pay and to require federal contractors to disclose the expected salary range in job postings.
On January 9, 2024, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Administration (“W&H”) issued its long-awaited final regulation, “Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.”
